The Merian Fell Library, the oldest library in Indian River County, opened to the public on May 1, 1915, at 63 North Cypress Street in Fellsmere, Florida. Its construction was made possible by Marian Fell, daughter of Edward Nelson Fell, founder of Fellsmere, through royalties she received from translating works of Russian author and playwright Ashton Chekov. Born in 1886, Marian Fell was educated in private schools in the United States, Paris, and Russia, and between 1912 and 1916 Scribner's published five of her translations, among some of the first Russian literature to appear in English. The Fell family is believed to have lived directly across the street at 88 Cypress Street from 1915 to 1917. North of the library were two grass tennis courts of the Fellsmere Tennis Association, where the 1916 Fell Cup was held. Typical of many architecturally modest library buildings constructed in small Florida towns during the early twentieth century, the library has hosted readings, recitals, meetings, social events, and children's programs since it opened, and it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.